By Eseoghene Emuke
A notable Niger Delta social crusader and philanthropist, Chief Duncan Afahokor has said there is a need for the recently established Warri, Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Commission (WUEDA) led by a former Secretary to the Delta State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay to hit the ground running over the deplorable state of the twin-city.
Afahokor, a lawyer, stated that the raining season has revealed that there is such much work to be done by the agency to restore the pride of the area, adding that the level of dirt and deplorable state of roads with Warri and its environs are unbefitting of cities like Warri and Effurun.
Addressing journalists on Monday after understudying and driving through some major roads in the twin-city, he said the current state of Warri/Uvwie and its environs is shameful, and urgent attention needs to be taken by the state government to address the situation.
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The board of the Warri, Uvwie and Environs Special Area Development Commission (WUEDA) was recently inaugurated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to address the decaying infrastructural and developmental needs of the area.
He appealed to Governor Okowa to adequately fund the agency to meet its set mandate of giving face-lift and attracting development to the area.
Afahokor, who is also the administrator of the famous Facebook group, Umeh Need Road, posited that the twin-city is hardly drivable once it rains as the drains in the area had been blocked by dirt and they are not connected to nearby rivers.
The Isoko-born philanthropist expressed dissatisfaction with the dirty nature of the city, saying that the agency should not only live on paper but should be empowered to carry out its mandate for the betterment of the city.
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According to him, “The current deplorable state of Warri and Effurun is appalling and should be immediately be addressed by the Delta State government. There are no roads in the city and drains are not working. Once it rains, the entire city is flood and the roads are impassable.
“Most of the traffics one runs into in the city are needless if there are good network of roads and the drains are working. It is hectic driving through PTI road, Warri/Effurun road, Refinery road, Jakpa road and other parts of the town whenever it rains. It’s shameful!
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“A visitor coming into Delta State for the first time will be disappointed with what they have been hearing of an oil-city like Warri. It shows that there is so much work to be done by the Comrade Macaulay-led Warri/Uvwie Development Agency. The agency should tackle the issue of dirt and the absence of drainage in the city. There are no roads in the city as well.
“If the state government is really serious about solving some of the issues, the Warri/Uvwie Agency must be adequately funded to the daunting task of giving a face-lift to the city. I pity the members of the agency because their job is not an easy one.”
Afahokor who, however, expressed conviction that the Director General and other members of the Agency were up to the task, urged residents and traditional institutions in the area to give the board the needed support restore the lost glory of the twin city.
